STATEN ISLAND, NY - ALLSHORES -- Another summer is drawing to a close and with it another season of "run and fun" basketball.

For the 14th straight year, the Pete Noon Basketball League has given youngsters from across Staten Island an opportunity to hone their hoop skills without the ultra-competitive atmosphere prevalent in other local loops.

"The league offers something for every level of play," said Joe O'Toole, league director and co-owner of the Fastbreak Basketball Center in Richmond Valley, where the games are currently played. The games were previously played at Clove Lakes Park and at PS 8 in Great Kills.

As the volume of kids grew, the move to Fastbreak four years ago has paid dividends by taking advantage of the state-of-the-art facility. With three basketball courts in action each Tuesday night the league was able to schedule a dozen games each night.

"We really just focus on making sure the kids have a good time and work on the basics of basketball. It's just run and fun," he said.

Named after longtime Our Lady Help of Christians R.C. Church parish basketball coach Pete Noon, who lost his battle with leukemia in 1998, the relaxed nature of the games has drawn an increased following over time.

After starting with just a handful of young cagers, the league saw enrollment grow to about 320 players this season. The league runs for 10 consecutive weeks each summer, beginning on the first Tuesday of July.

Support for the league has extended beyond parents and coaches.

"(State Sen.) Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore) started giving money to the program back when he was a member of the City Council," said O'Toole. "And (city Councilman) Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) has picked up right where he left off."

It was an easy league to get behind, according to the politicians.

"This league is the epitome of what Staten Island is all about," said Ignizio, who played ball during his youth in the Holy Child R.C. Church parish intramural league and then announced the St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School basketball games in his later years.

Lanza, Ignizio, state Assemblyman Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore) and City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) all contributed funding this season that went to providing gym time and uniforms for the players, as well as an annual scholarship fund.

This year's recipient of the Pete Noon Scholarship Award, which pays $500 towards the high school tuition and expenses for one player entering the eighth grade, was 13-year-old Grant City resident Tyler Peana.

Described as "the first kid in the gym" who "plays the game the right way" by O'Toole, Peana hopes to use that financial support to help pay his way at Staten Island Academy.

"That's the school I really want to go to," said the youngster, who plays both guard positions. "I didn't expect (the award), but it's really going to help. My mom and dad were both here and they told me how proud they were."

In addition to the Pete Noon award, the league also gives out an annual sportsmanship award named after longtime St. Clare's R.C. Church basketball program volunteer Bill Finnegan, who passed away four years ago. It was given to Nick Maetta, 13, of Woodrow.

For information about the Fastbreak Basketball Center, located at 236 Richmond Valley Rd., visit www.fastbreakhoops.com or call 718-948-3710.